I started this blog for me - it expanded to show BFF Jackie what I was doing - and a few others have invited themselves too - everybody welcome!
Mostly about patchwork, with random comments about embroidery, family and life in general, come on in, put your feet up, and I'll put the [virtual] kettle on.

SLIK Stitches website

Wednesday, 29 August 2018

I don't think my friend Dalwyn stalks these pages, but so, now is the time to go away!

I have completely finished the stole - and checked the length against my vicar (seen modelling it here) and it looks about spot on - thank goodness! Thank you Colin for being a guinea pig!

I had done some test stitchouts (the triangle cross and the celtic cross) on some spare green linen, so I have added a few other logos (North Bedfordshire circuit, where he will be working, St Anne's broken cross for the university where he studied, and logos for the two Windsor schools that he taught at). Placement isn't brilliant, but it makes a fun cushion!

I've also been making pencil / make up cases for colleagues at work - a few belated birthdays, one early birthday and two leaving pressies (plus an excuse to play with Lizzie's font library!)

Saturday, 18 August 2018

I've been doing the boring pre-school embroideries, but also some hand sewing, embroidery design and prep for the next few Chertsey Museum classes.

This mandala pattern is one that I designed and stitched using variegated thread - I've since made the satin stitch wider, so we'll see how that comes out.

I finished the edges of the two interchange wall hangings:

And I created this celtic cross embroidery design

It needed several tweeks, but I've now stitched it on the purple stole fabric and the two sides are ready to be stitched together to make the reversible stole

At Crafty Church we have started getting ready for our Remembrance day (100 years) display. We've decided to go with poppy shapes. (or rather approximately poppy shapes - I see a red snowman, but I have been assured that when I see loads of them I will see poppies - and to be fair they are very similar to the British Legion poppies!)

Janet is taking the sizzix and the circle dies to cut poppies for all 36 from the village involved in WW1

I'm teaching Quilt As You Go hexies at Chertsey early September, so I sizzixed these

and made some of these

which will be joined into this sort of shape

And finally, not me, but Jackie made this and I think it's far too gorgeous not to share! Perfect for a baby girl's essentials - a few nappies and a pack of wet wipes: and a pocket for mama's phone too

Sunday, 12 August 2018

My old Boss has been training to become a Methodist Minister and starts this on 2nd September. I was honoured to be asked to make him a stole, but then panicked and have procrastinated for several months. However 2nd if September isn't that far away, so today I pulled on my big girl pants and cut the first two pieces, and embroidered them. He was a maths teacher before being a Head Teacher and now Minister so a cross made of triangles was ideal for this side.

The other side will be purple, and I'll do a Celtic cross for that side - maybe next weekend!

At the same time as embroidering the rainbows, and Lizzie was embroidering some uniforms, I was sizzixing card pieces for a WW1 project starting next weekend, and sizzixing fabric for Chertsey Museum in a few week's time - my lovely new big desk is only just big enough to hold everything!

These hexies are the start of a rainbow quilt-as-you-go project for Chertsey

I got a bit further with them tonight but they need stitching together still

I also did some patches for aprons for Monty's Popdog stand

And embroidered over 50 pieces of school uniform . . .which made a *bit* of a dent in the pile - just 125 left to go!

And earlier this week I finished hand quilting the last block (Australia) and put together the pieces from my interchange applique. I decided to make two mini quilts rather than one big one as I only wanted one of each shape on the quilt. I can't remember how to finish the edges so I'm hoping a R&Q friend will remind me (that's probably you, Plum!)

In case you can't make out the shapes, they are, from top left to bottom right . . .

As well as all the making I decided to carry on with the bobbin winding that I'd been doing at Chertsey: I have far too many threads: mostly those small ones that come with sewing kits and are useless thread - I thought if I wound them onto the bobbins I'd bought for the Chertsey class (yes, I bought far too many, but they were really cheap!) I could make some more bobbin necklaces - the empties are in the middle - quite a quantity reductions!